L.A. Relief Groups Cook Up a Turkey Feast for Thousands

Thousands of homeless people received traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinners with all the trimmings Thursday, thanks to missions and relief organizations on Skid Row and in other areas of the city.

The needy lined up along downtown’s Skid Row, where about 6,000 were fed by the Fred Jordan Mission. City workers closed off several blocks near the Towne Avenue mission to let volunteers set up outdoor tables in the street.

Also downtown, about 3,000 were served dinner at the Union Rescue Mission, 3,000 at the Midnight Mission and 1,100 at the Los Angeles Mission.

Meanwhile, the Heart of Jesus Ministry on South Crenshaw Boulevard in South-Central Los Angeles served turkey and soul food to 2,000 of the hungry, and also provided clothing for those who needed it, a spokesman for the organization said.

About 2,000 ate at the Salvation Army centers on Skid Row and in Hollywood, while another 2,000 dined at the United States Mission in Hollywood.

Para Los Ninos fed more than 1,000 children and Goodwill Industries prepared Thanksgiving dinner for 400 of its handicapped employees. Hundreds of others ate at the International Evangelism Crusade’s picnic dinner in North Hollywood Park.

Restaurants also pitched in.

About 2,000 senior citizens were treated to a holiday dinner at Tom’s Drive-In on Firestone Boulevard. In the San Fernando Valley, La Frite cafe on Ventura Boulevard was the site of a Thanksgiving dinner for about 200 that was organized by the West Valley Food Coalition and Shir Chadash Temple. In Inglewood, there was food for about 600 at Louisiana Lenney’s restaurant on Prairie Avenue. Members of the Sikh faith served a free vegetarian meal at the Golden Temple Conscious Cookery on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department put on its traditional holiday feast for 20,000 inmates of the county jail system who couldn’t make it home for the holiday.